


Discussions In Engineering

by deathwailart



Category: Star Trek (2009)
Genre: Banter, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-12-14
Updated: 2011-12-14
Packaged: 2017-10-27 08:11:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,277
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/293581
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/deathwailart/pseuds/deathwailart





	Discussions In Engineering

There are secrets aboard the Enterprise like there are on any ship that the entire crew know but never speak aloud. Like it’s a bad sign when McCoy isn’t grumping about someone being hurt because that means it’s serious and that fencing is clearly the most badass hand to hand combat around. Or that Spock is a surprisingly good listener but it’s Uhura you go to for the actual advice part. Another is that if you want to disappear for a while, no questions asked, you go down to engineering. Sure, engineering is normally noisy as hell but Scotty rarely asks questions and there are always, always sandwiches lurking around.

It’s one of Kirk’s favourite hiding spots when everything is getting to him or when he just needs some straight talk or banter with someone who isn’t Spock or McCoy. And Scotty is just the ticket.

“I’ll be right with you captain!” He shouts when he first spots Kirk and Jim waves him off, taking a seat next to Keenser who’s busy fiddling around with something that Jim will never ever recognise or understand.  
  
“Take your time Mr. Scott,” he calls back, making himself comfortable, glad he came down at the shift change from evening to night because it’s far quieter and well, it’s been a little while since he’s managed to catch up with this particular crew member and as captain of the Enterprise, he likes to check in as much as possible, keep tabs on his crew so that he knows if they’re doing okay. It’s why he thinks his crew are the best damn crew anyone could find. And okay, so maybe half of them shouldn’t have been on the Enterprise in the first place or in the seats they currently have for the next five years – and damn, that still floors him every single time he thinks about it, but in the best way possible – but he’s not going to question that or complain. Everyone who is here needed to be here and they’re staying here (barring major incidents and with the increased aggression from the Klingons he’s trying not to think about that constantly) until their mission is over.

Eventually Keenser scoots off to go wave a spanner threateningly at some poor ensign as Scotty comes over, covered in grease and looking tired but happy at least and Kirk tosses the nearby towel (he’d wondered why it was there) at him. He can’t help but smirk because he remembers that first time with Scotty aboard the Enterprise, both of them up on the bridge, Scotty soaking wet and grinning and okay, so it wasn’t the best memory but it summed up the mission so far. After all, Scotty was the third near death since they’d set off.

“So how goes it Mr Scott?”  
  
Scotty finishes scrubbing his head and takes a seat next to Kirk. “Worked out that problem I’ve been having with overheating finally – reminds me that I owe Chekov because the bloody whiz kid was right yet again – so we shouldn’t have any problems for the next wee while.”  
  
“Good to hear, what about coaxing a bit more speed out of the ship?”  
  
“Well for her size she’s a delicate lady, you’ve got to take your time captain, coax her secrets out of her. Can’t go steamrolling in all hair gel and charming grins.”  
  
“I hope that’s just talking about the engines and not anything else.”  
  
“Wouldn’t dream of it captain.” But Scotty’s smirk says otherwise and if Jim didn’t want to get grease and God knows what else all over him he’d give him a shove.  
  
“I’ll have you know that I know just how to treat a lady.”  
  
“I believe you sir,” Scotty replies, making notes on his PADD before glancing around and opening up a non-descript container that’s full of sandwiches. “Fresh this morning; always good to have them in case I need to pull extra hours and let’s face it, I always pull the extra hours when it comes to this girl.”  
  
“Should I be worried about you and how close you’re getting to my ship?”  
  
“I’m a perfect gentleman but I do know just how to make her purr and I’m right here at the core, so to speak.”

For a few minutes they’re quiet but as soon as Scotty innocently offers a sandwich, they both start laughing, Jim bent double as he feels tears beginning to form at the corners of his eyes and when did he last laugh like this? Things have been tense to say the least, intelligence coming from Starfleet has been pretty damn bleak and the smile he plasters on when he walks the halls of his ship and sits in his captain’s chair at the bridge has been feeling tight around the edges, fake and plastered on.

“Everything alright?” Scotty asks when their laughter finally trails off and Jim can breathe normally again, finally accepting that sandwich.  
  
“Yeah. About as normal as things can get and hell, it’s been quieter than it’s been for a while – Spock’s busy keeping in touch with the Vulcan colony and making sure they’re okay there, Uhura’s learning new languages from the races we’ve met on the past couple of months and Sulu and Chekov...God I don’t even know what they’re doing when there’s not much to do at the conn but they’re usually giggling and playing some sort of game. And you know Bones, bitching away, clucking over everyone with the slightest case of anything like a mother hen with a tissue ready just in case they start bleeding from the eyes, nose and ear in case their internal organs are liquefying. Business as usual.” He stuffs the last of his sandwich into his mouth and claps his hands; Scotty’s giving him a look out of the side of his eye as he finishes his own sandwich and lapses into contemplative silence.  
  
“You know, I thought you were completely mental when I first met you and sometimes, the way you go about negotiations and first contacts, sometimes I still think you are and that maybe you got hit a bit too hard in those bar fights you used to get into but the crew trusts you. We all do.”  
  
Jim rubs a hand over his face and sighs because therein lies the rub: they all trust him but there’s still that little voice that niggles whenever some ensign from security is bleeding or when the bridge crew are shaken after shots across their bow.

“Look,” Scotty nudges him in the thigh with his elbow, “you go with your gut and you’ve never led us astray so far and you’ve got bloody good pilots especially with Sulu who’s just as good down planetside on away missions. Chekov can outthink us all, same way Uhura can and Uhura is never going to be afraid of telling you when you’ve got your head up your arse. Same with McCoy. And Spock although Spock would be far more diplomatic about it.”  
  
Jim grins again and grabs another sandwich, “And what about you?”  
  
“If I think you’re leading us into something stupid then you’ll bloody well know about it. Now,” Scotty gives a glance at his watch, “do you have time for a very quick, very small drink before one of us has to get back to work.”  
  
“Always got time for that when I’ve got such great company and if you’ll give me a full update on everything, crew included.”

Scotty salutes and starts looking for glasses and Jim nods to himself; he’s got the best damn crew out there, he’s not going to go astray.


End file.
